Music Reviews : NPR

Mary Gauthier Wrote 'The War After The War' With Six Soldiers' Spouses

Mary Gauthier's Rifles & Rosary Beads comes out Jan. 26. Laura Partain/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Laura Partain/Courtesy of the artist

Songs We Love

Mary Gauthier Wrote 'The War After The War' With Six Soldiers' Spouses

November 30, 2017 • Based on true accounts, the song is a devastating testimony to the quiet suffering of the partners and spouses who welcome soldiers home.

Trio Da Kali And Kronos Quartet's 'Ladilikan' Album Marries Their Two Worlds

Trio da Kali and Kronos Quartet's album, Ladilikan, is available now. Jay Blakesberg/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jay Blakesberg/Courtesy of the artist

Trio Da Kali And Kronos Quartet's 'Ladilikan' Album Marries Their Two Worlds

November 29, 2017 • An unlikely musical collaboration, Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet shatter boundaries of culture, genre, faith and ethnicity.

Trio Da Kali And Kronos Quartet: A Happy Marriage Of Tradition And Rule-Breaking

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Tom Jones' 'Done Somebody Wrong' Lets Out A Remorseful Roar

Tom Jones contributes a cover to Strange Angels, an Elmore James tribute compilation that benefits MusicCares and Edible Schoolyard NYC. Tristan Fewings/Getty Images hide caption

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Songs We Love

Tom Jones' 'Done Somebody Wrong' Lets Out A Remorseful Roar

November 29, 2017 • The one-time pop idol belts an Elmore James blues burner with a mighty maturity on this track from an all-star tribute album.

The Rebirth Of Vanessa Carlton On 'Liberman'

On Liberman, Vanessa Carlton opts to pare down her lyrics, personal narratives and production, making it her most confessional work yet. Brad Barket/Getty Images hide caption

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The Rebirth Of Vanessa Carlton On 'Liberman'

November 29, 2017 • The success of "A Thousand Miles" pigeonholed Carlton as a commercial pop star. But on her fifth studio album, she owned her creative process and reinvented herself as the artist she was meant to be.

Alt.Latino

On 'Arrullo,' Diana Gameros Delivers On Her Promise

November 28, 2017 • The Bay Area vocalist's first full-length album, comprised of songs from her childhood in Mexico, is worth the wait.

Tom Misch's 'Movie' Replays His Heartbreak

Tom Misch's debut album Geography is due out next year. Charlie Cummings/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Charlie Cummings/Courtesy of the artist

Songs We Love

Tom Misch's 'Movie' Replays His Heartbreak

November 28, 2017 • The East London singer-songwriter riffs on the mild neurosis of heartache; he seems to always make it last just a few notes longer than it should.

Palm's 'Dog Milk' Is A Dense Art-Rock Sprint

Palm's new album, Rock Island, comes out Feb. 9. Dylan Pearce/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

Palm's 'Dog Milk' Is A Dense Art-Rock Sprint

November 28, 2017 • A new track from Rock Island, the Philly quartet's forthcoming album, is jam-packed with twitchy drums and dizzying melodies.

'All I Want For Christmas' Is Charly Bliss' Sugary Mariah Carey Cover

Charly Bliss' Christmas sweater game is on-point. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

'All I Want For Christmas' Is Charly Bliss' Sugary Mariah Carey Cover

November 28, 2017 • The rock band delivers the wallop of unabashed fun that made the original such a fireworks display of candy-cane colors.

Review: Neil Young & Promise Of The Real, 'The Visitor'

Neil Young & Promise Of The Real's The Visitor is out Dec. 1. Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen

Review: Neil Young & Promise Of The Real, 'The Visitor'

November 23, 2017 • Rage takes many forms in these new songs — laments, exhortations and diatribes about the rapidly changed world in the aftermath of the last U.S. presidential election.

Review: Wilco, 'Being There: Deluxe Edition' (Bonus Disc)

Wilco's Being There: Deluxe Edition is out Dec. 1. Marina Chavez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Marina Chavez/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

Review: Wilco, 'Being There: Deluxe Edition' (Bonus Disc)

November 23, 2017 • A collection of outtakes, alternates and demos from 1996 captures the point where one of America's great underdog bands began to come into its own.

Review: Chris Stapleton, 'From A Room: Volume 2'

Chris Stapleton's From A Room: Volume 2 is out Dec. 1. Andy Barron/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Andy Barron/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

Review: Chris Stapleton, 'From A Room: Volume 2'

November 23, 2017 • On a second installment of back catalog gems and choice covers, the country singer-songwriter retains his hard-living artistic persona — but also embraces meaningful familial attachments.

Review: Danielle Bradbery, 'I Don't Believe We've Met'

Danielle Bradbery's I Don't Believe We've Met is out Dec. 1. Cameron Powell/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Cameron Powell/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

Review: Danielle Bradbery, 'I Don't Believe We've Met'

November 23, 2017 • Once a teenage winner of The Voice, the country singer has begun to personalize her craft, with new textures to her big delivery and diaristic self-disclosure in her lyrics.

'Playa In Me' Embodies Kamaiyah's Effortless Ethos

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Songs We Love

'Playa In Me' Embodies Kamaiyah's Effortless Ethos

November 21, 2017 • While hip-hop heads are more than used to seeing male rappers flaunt their riches, Kamaiyah switches up the script in a new video.

Review: Sufjan Stevens, 'The Greatest Gift'

Sufjan Stevens' The Greatest Gift is out Nov. 24. Andrea Morrison/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Andrea Morrison/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

Review: Sufjan Stevens, 'The Greatest Gift'

November 21, 2017 • Stevens' new mixtape recontextualizes and remixes songs from 2015's gorgeous Carrie & Lowell, while weaving in four unreleased outtakes that fit its sonic template.

The Sacred, Simple Truth Of Patty Loveless' 'When Fallen Angels Fly'

Patty Loveless' When Fall Angels Fly speaks to the sacred and simple dirt truth of the human condition. Rusty Russell/Getty Images hide caption

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Music

The Sacred, Simple Truth Of Patty Loveless' 'When Fallen Angels Fly'

November 20, 2017 • When Fallen Angels Fly speaks to the sacred and simple dirt truth of the human condition; it embodies Loveless' pragmatic, honest approach to music.